Basketball: Alex Rossi lands at Valparaiso

Alex Rossi, whose career at Cal never got off the ground because of nagging lower-abdominal issues, has committed to play for Valparaiso.

Here’s the news release from Valpo. Rossi left Cal at the end of the season because of family issues in suburban Chicago. He has applied for an NCAA waiver that would allow him to play immediately at his new school.

Jeff Faraudo

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I’m curious to know what type of waiver would allow him to play right away. I’ve never heard of that type.

I know that players can get waivers for injury season that would allow them to play a 6th year, but not one that ignores the 1 year must sit when transferring rule.

Had he played his first year and been completely injured this past year, I would get it. But his case was that he played zero his first year and DID play this past year, although sparingly.

Regardless, I am sad Rossi’s leaving, really liked him, and will root for him at Valpo.

Yoda

There’s a waiver of the rule that a transfer has to sit a year applicable on rare occasions for family hardship transfers, iirc. I don’t think it has much to do with how long he played at Cal.

Jeff Faraudo

Yoda is correct. He can apply for a hardship waiver, as did former Arizona guard MoMo Jones when he transferred to Iona. He told the NCAA he needed to be closer to his ailing grandmother and they allowed him to make the move without sitting out a season. I don’t know the details of Rossi’s situation because he has chosen to keep them private, but the primary reason he transferred was family, not basketball.